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Topic: Do You know the Knish? (Read 4599 times)

This question came up on another board I visit and I thought I'd ask it here.

The knish (the k is pronounced) is one of NYC's little treasures. Traditionally, knishes come in two shapes and two flavors. The best are round and baked. These come filled with kasha (buckwheat) or potato. The potato variety also contains finely chopped onion and, if you're lucky, a bit of schmaltz (chicken fat).

In my opinion, the square, fried variety is far inferior. This is the kind you find frozen in the grocery or on the average food cart. Most of them both look and taste like throw pillows.

Although Yonah Schimmel is said to be the sine qua non of knishes, We preferred the late, lamented Mrs. Stahl's in Brighton Beach. That place used to make a Spanish rice knish. It also offered cocktail sizes and dessert knishes filled with fruit.

The only time I can have a crunchy knish is to buy them in the supermarket and put them in the oven for a while. So I will check my store this weekend....

This is what I do, too. I buy a few at the deli and then heat them in my toaster oven. Then I cut them open and dip them in spicy brown polish mustard. I like the sour cream/salt suggestion mentioned above. may have to try that, too.

Ooooo, here is the Knish topic! I forgotten where it was and had started one in the "coffe break" section.

I had bought a spinach/potato from the deli section of the A&P not far from my parents' N.J. home. I heated it in the oven until it was heated all through and the crust was crispy. And found that I didn't care for the spinach in it. I ended up taking the crust off of it, mashing it up, adding a can of condensed mushroom soup, and a soup can of milk. Combined it well, and heated it up. It was a delicious soup!